“We are working hard to resolve this but the slow speeds may continue to affect the service over the coming week.”

Defra said some registered applicants who were trying to edit their land details were receiving a message, saying: “Something went wrong.”

“You might want to try again later if you get this [message],” said Defra on its blog.

“We’ve been adding new features this week and are working through this particular issue – thanks for bearing with us.”

Farmers and land agents can still register and check and update their personal and business details.

Last week, some customers found they were unable to give permissions to agents, but this has now been fixed.

Defra will release any further news on service updates on its CAP reform blog and via the RPA Twitter account @ruralpay.

The registration process, which was scheduled to have been completed by the end of January, is in full swing.

According to the RPA, more than 90% of land agents are logged on and more than 30,000 of a probable 90,000-100,000 farmers and landowners have registered for the digital-only system.

Berrys land agent Judy Pearson said some farmers and land agents had experienced “teething problems” getting registered. For example, some were unaware that a temporary activation code emailed to the applicant was needed to complete registration.

But Ms Pearson added: “The RPA has been updating the functionality of the online system in the past week. There have clearly been some challenges.

“It appears they are working on it to try and find out why it has slowed down.

“However, it’s worth pointing out that we are on 9 February and not 9 May. If the system does work and we are able to use it properly, it should be a big improvement on the existing online Single Payment Scheme.

“The key focus we’re working on is getting people to register now.”

The RPA is urging all farmers and landowners who intend to register for BPS, but haven’t yet done so, to sign up now.

If you need assistance with registering, call the RPA helpline on 03000 200 301.

Timetable for BPS rollout

January/February – Farmers and landowners register for BPS

February – Registered applicants should check land details including land use and cover